Method of packaging



y 1940. A. w. LINDHOLM 2,202,213

. METHOD OF PACKAGING Filed May 13, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR I am, mJLdL-V BY QAMM ATTORNEY A. w. LINIVDHOLM 2,202,213

METHOD OF PACKAGING Filed May 13, 1938- 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR BY M @w-wa, M

- ATT NEY Pat ented- Ma as. 1940 UN STA E 1 2,202.21: sis-mop or PACKAGING Arthur W. Lindholm, East Milton, Mass, assignor i to Pneumatic Scale- Corporation,

Limited,

Quincy, him, a corporation of Massachusetts I Application May 13, 1938, Serial No. 207,731 I This invention relates to a method of packaging materials. e V

The object of the invention is to provide anovel and improved method of economically and emciently closing, filling and sealing cartons.

with this general object in view, and 'such oth-- ers as may hereinafter appear, the invention consists in the method of packaging materials here-' inafter described and particularly defined in the claims at the end of this specification.

In the drawings illustrating the preferred embodiment of the invention, Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus forclosing, filling and sealing cartons; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the apparatus shown in Fig. l, and Figs. 3 to 8 are perspective views illustrating the various steps in the production of the filled and sealed package.

In general, the present invention contemplates a novel method of packaging materials in cartons in asimple and economical manner and which is particularly adapted for use in -a small plant where economy in first cost "of the apparatus and in the maintenance of the same is an important factor.

In its preferred: embodiment, the present method'is practiced in a machine of the semiautomatic type wherein an empty carton-is first operations are performed upon the empty carton passed through mechanism for closing and sealton is again passed through the same closing and sealing mechanism to produce the completely filled and sealed package. In practica-anoperator setup a. fiat carton and it through the closing and sealing mechanism upside. down.

Provision is then made. for setting the adhesively sealed fiaps and-for transferring the empty car- 'tontoasecond operatorwherethecartonis inverted and filled. .I'he filled carton is then returned to the first operator and is again put through the closing and sealing mechanism to close the other-end. In this manner, in theoperration of the machine; the second operator receives alternately first an-empty carton which is invertedandpassedback to the first operator and the'other end. .The carton is initially set up in it's rectangular form, with the flaps extended, by an operatorwhotlien proceeds to tuck down the '55 rear end flaps l6. 2i,.manua11y. With the caring one end thereof and after being inverted and filled in any usual or preferred manner, the carton in this condition,.it is passed through the closing and sealingmec'hanism, generally indicated at 24,-first engaging top and bottom. rails 26, 28 which operate to tuck down the forward end flaps I8, 22 leaving the carton in the condi- '5 tion shown in Fig. 3. As the empty carton is advanced, the lowermost side flaps l4 are engaged by curved r'ails30, 32 which operate to fold these flaps inwardly and at the same time the uppermost side flaps l2 are spread outwardly by en-- gagement with the flared edges of ,the' top rail 26 presenting the carton in the condition illustrated in Fig. 4. Further movement of the carton will present the extended flaps. l2 to glue rolls 34, 36

where a coating of adhesive is applied as shown 15 I in Fig; 4. Idler rolls 35 support theflaps I 2 dur-' ing the gluing operation. At this timethe car.--

ton is supported at its lower end by a bottom rai l I 38 and a side rail in order to align the'c'arton in proper register with the adhesive applying U rolls 34, 36. The end flaps l6, [8 are held down,

during the adhesive applying operation by 'a narrow extension 42 from the flared rail .26. The

carton-is now advanced past curved top rails 44,

46' which operate to fold down the two side flaps 5 l2 to close the uppermost end of the carton.

It will be understood that the above described with the latter 'disposed in a position upside down from the position it'will eventually assume when a filled. For purposes'of illustration, the end of the carton, which-is assumed to be the top, has been marked with a rectangular label indicated at" in the drawings, see Fig. 1.

The carton is now received between :driven belts 52, 54 which operate to press the carton endwise and firmlyset the glued fiaps. 'The belts may be driven in any usual or preferred manner as by an electric motor, not shown,--and through the chain and sprocket drives, generally indicated at 56. The lower belt is supported on its underside by rollers. 58 and pressure is applied. to the .upper belt 52 by the weight of the rollers 60 which are loosely mounted-in vertical slots in a bar 62 4s v.supported from the machine frame.

After passing throughthepressure belts, the I carton is transferred to a shelf to a position where an operator may invert the carton, open up the previously closed, but not sealed flaps, and 50 fill the carton in any usual or preferred manner; such 'as a 'measuring device of any well-known standard construction, such as is diagrammati callyindicated at 65 in the drawings.

when the carton is filled it is placed upon a u driven conveyor belt 68 which guides the carton back to a shelf in a. position where the operator may grasp the filled carton and again pass it through the closing and sealing mechanism 24, as was previously done with the empty carton. It will be observed that since the bottom flaps l2, l6, l8 have been previously closed and sealed, the bottom rails 28, 30, 32 are inoperative during this operation, serving only to support the bottom of the package during its travel through the mechanism. During this trip through the mechanism, the top flaps I4, 20, 22 are closed and sealed in the same manner that the bottom fiaps l2, l6, l8 were sealed, whereupon the carton is again passed between the driven belts 52 and 54 to be pressed, and thereafter the carton is removed from the machine.

As herein shown, the sealing and pressing mechanisms are supported upon longitudinal side bars 12 secured to the fioor stands 14. The table 16 upon which the filling mechanism is supported is connected to the pressing mechanismby a bridge plate 18. The conveyor '68 for returning the filled cartons to the sealing mechanism may be driven in any preferred manner, as by an electric motor, not shown.

From the description thus far it will be observed that the present invention is simple in construction and economical in operation and may be used with advantage in a small packing establishment where economy is an important factor. It will also be observed that but one closing and sealing mechanism isrequired to close and sealeither end of the carton, thereby eliminating the necessity for duplicate mechanisms lower sets of fiaps but sealing only the upper set of fiaps of each carton during their passage therethrough, then inverting the cartons into a position-with the unsealed end thereof uppermost, opening up the unsealed end then filling the carton through the open upper end thereof, then passing the filled carton while maintaining the open upper end uppermost through the same a top closing machine and closing and sealing the second set of fiaps during the second passage of the carton through the machine whereby to produce a completely closed and sealed carton.

2. In the method of producing filled and closed cartons with a single top closing machine, the steps comprising passing a series of cartons through the machine, some of the cartons being unfilled and open at both ends and some of the cartons being closed at their lower ends and filled, closing and sealing the uppermost flaps of each of the cartons as they are passed through the machine and also closing but not sealing the lower flaps of said unfilled cartons, then separating the completely sealed and filled cartons and the unfilled cartons, having one end sealed, opening up and then filling the latter, and then passing the thus filled cartons a second time through the machine together with additional unfilled cartons, closing the lower flaps of said unfilled cartons and closing and sealing the upper flaps of all the cartons.

3. The method of producing filled and closed cartons with a top fiap closing machine, which consists in passing successive set-up cartons through the machine and closing both upper and lower sets of flaps but sealing only the upper set of fiaps of each carton during their passage therethrough, applying pressure to the ends of the carton thus closed to firmly set the sealed end, then inverting the cartons into a position with the unsealed end thereof uppermost, open- 'ing up the unsealed end, then filling-the carton ARTHUR W. LINDHOLM. 

